Body found in Penobscot remains unidentified

BANGOR, Maine — The name of the man whose body was found floating in the Penobscot River last Thursday still was being withheld Monday.

That is because police have been unable to locate the man’s family for notification, Bangor police Lt. Jeff Millard said Monday, citing an update from the department’s detectives.

Millard said that city police believe they may have located a relative in California but have not been able to make contact with that person as of late Monday afternoon.

Police said last week that the man had drowned but they weren’t immediately able to determine whether the death was accidental or the result of a suicide.

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Lt. Tim Reid said last week that police were alerted about 10:30 a.m. Thursday that a man might be missing after passers-by noticed clothing and other personal items on a dock behind the Sea Dog Restaurant. A shirt also was floating in the water nearby.

Several hours later, police were notified again by passers-by. This time, the body was recovered a short distance from the dock.

The man, who was in his 40s, Reid said, was taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Augusta for an autopsy. The office, however, does not release information about cases without being provided a name.